Air-conditioning apparatus



Dec. 5, 1944. A. Y. DODGE 7 AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1 9,1943 3 Sheets-Sheet l 0 a M w E Q w Q i .1: M w 2.

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Dec. 5, 1944. I A. Y. DODGE 2,364,279

I AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 19, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec.5, 1944. DODGE 2,364,279

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 19, 1943 s SheetsSheet 3 PatentedDec. 5, 1944 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" AIR-CONDITIONING APPARATUSAdiel Y. Dodge, Rockford, Ill.

Application August 19, i943, Serial No. 499,180

Claims.

of humidity so that the air discharged into the.

space will be relatively dry. The most common way of accomplishing thisis to cool the air below its dew point so that moisture therein willcollect as condensate in the cooling apparatus. I have found that unlessthe condensate .is removed from contact with the air, satisfactorydehumidification cannot be accomplished since the air tends to pick upthe condensate and carry it out of the apparatus.

It is accordingly one of the objects of the present invention to provideair conditioning apparatus in which moisture is removed from the air bycondensation and the condensate is promptly removed from the coolingsurfaces.

A further object is to provide an air impelling unit which serves tocirculate the air and at the same time to cool and dehumidify it.

Another object of the invention is to provide air conditioning apparatusin which the air is cooled by a rotatable cooling member from whichcondensate is thrown by centrifugal force. Ac-

' cording to one feature of the'invention, the condensate is collectedat the outer ends of the rotatable members and is conducted away fromditioned.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cooling fan orblower having hollow blades through which a cooling medium is circulatedand with condensate collecting means thereon to remove the condensatefrom the air stream.

The above and other objects and advantages will be more readily apparentfrom the following description when read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an axial section of acooling fan embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a section of one fan blade on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; 1

Figure 3 is an axial section of a blower embodying a. modified form ofthe invention; and

Figur 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of figured.

The fan of Figure 1 comprises a base or stand Ill rotatably supporting atubular shaft II which may be driven in any desired manner as, forexample, through a pulley I2. The shaft carries a series of hollow fanblades l3 having central partitions l4 therein terminating short oftheir outer ends. One side of the fan blades communicates with theinterior of the shaft -ll through passage l5 and the other side of theblades communicates with the opposite end of the shaft H throughopenings I6.

Cooling fluid such as brine or any suitable refrigerant may becirculated through the blades from a supply pipe i1 communicating withthe interior of the shaft at on end and may be conducted away through asimilar pipe 18 communicating with the opposite end of the shaft.Cooling medium supplied through the pipe I! flows through the shaft Hand the ports l5 into the blades at one side of the partition [4. Thepartition causes the cooling medium to circulate lengthwise of theblades over the outer end of contact with the moving air'stream to beconinlet 26.

the partition and inwardly through the passages l6 and the dischargepipe Hi. In this way, the entire surface of the blades is cooled so thatair circulated by the fan will be cooled and moisture will be condensedon the blade surfaces.

Centrifugal force due to rotation of the fan will cause the moisturecondensing on the blades to be thrown outwardly toward the blade endswhere it may be collected by collecting means carried by the blades. Asshown in Figure l, the collecting means comprises an annular channelshaped member I!) connected directly to the ends of the blades to rotatetherewith and formed at a plurality of points throughout itscircumference with condensate discharge openings 2|. The fan is enclosedby an annular housing 22 which is channel shaped in section with itssides open for circulation of air and which has at its lower portion acondensate discharge pipe 23. As moisturecondenses on the fan surfaces,it will be thrown outwardly into the ring I9 and will be dischargedtherefrom through the openings 2| into the housing 22. The moisture willbe discharged from the housing through'the pipe 23 so that it is at alltimes, out of contact with the moving airstream and the blade surfacesare kept dry. Thus, with this construction the air is cooled andeffectively dehumidified so that it may be dischargedinto the livingspace in the desired cool dry condition.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a centrifugal blower having a substantiallycircular housing 24 formed with a tangential air outlet 25 and an axialair A shaft 2'I rotatably supported on a base 28 extends through thehousing and carries "a series of curved blades or vanes 29 for forcing.

air from the inlet through the outlet. While, the

blades are shown curved forwardly, in many cases it will be desirable tocurve them backwardly, or in the opposite direction to that shown.

The blades 29 are hollow as seen in Figure 4 and are connected at oneedge to an end plate 3|. Cooling medium is adapted to be supplied to theblades through a supply pipe 32 communieating with one end of the shaft21 and through ports 33 therein with the blades. The cooling medium.flows outwardly in the blades and through openings 34 in the end plate3| into a space 35 between the end plate and a cover 36 on the oppositeside of the end plate from the blades. From the space 35 the coolingmedium flows through ports 31 in the shaft 21 and through a bore 38 inthe shaft into a discharge pipe 39. In this way, the blades and endplate 3| are cooled, the cover 36 being insulated as indicated at 4| ifdesired to prevent heat losses.

Condensate collecting on the blades 29 is thrown outwardly thereof bycentrifugal force and may be collected by troughs 42 carried by theouter ends of the blades and which slope outwardly to the end plate 3|.The end plate is formed with openings 43 radially outward of the cover36 and registering with the trough 42 through which condensate may bedischarged. The condensate so discharged is received in a channel 44formed in the housing from which it may be conducted'away through adrain connection 45.

In operation of thisapparatus, air is drawn in the inlet port 26 and isforced over the blade surfaces and out the outlet port 25. In passingover the blade surfaces and over the surface of end plate 3|, the airwill be cooled and moisture will condense therefrom. The moisturecondensing on the blades is thrown outwardly into the troughs 42 bycentrifugal force and is caused to flow along the troughs through theopenings 43 and into the collection channel 44 in the housing. Moisturecondensing on the plate 3| may be collected in an annular trough 46formed by rolling over the edge of the plate and may be dischargedthrough openings 41 into the channel 44. Thus the moisture iseffectively removed from contact with the air stream so that air will bedischarged in the desired cooled dry condition. It will be noted thatdehumidification occurs in this apparatus at the point where the air isat its highest pressure so that maximum condensation of moisture isaccomplished.

While two embodiments of the invention have been shown and described indetail herein, it is understood that these are illustrative only and arenot intended as a definition of the scope of the invention, referencebeing had for that purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a rotary air impelling unithaving a series of spaced blades, means connected to the blades to coolthem, and means carried by the radially outer ends of the blades tocollect condensate forming on the blade surfaces and thrown outwardthereof by centrifugal force.

2. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a 1'0- tary air impelliiig unithaving a series of spaced blades, means connected to the blades to coolthem, a housing enclosing the blades, means carried by the blades attheir outer ends to collect condensate from the blades, and the housingbeing formed with means to receive condensate from the last named meansand conduct'it away.

3. Air conditioning apparatus comprising s rotary air impelling unithaving a series of spaced hollow blades, means forming connections tothe blades for circulation of a cooling medium therethrough, andcondensate collecting mean carried by the blades at their outer ends.

4. .Air conditioning apparatus comprising a rotary air impelling unithaving a series of spaced hollow blades, means forming connections tothe blades for circulation of a cooling medium therethrough, and anannular condensate collecting ring connected to the outer ends of theblades.

5. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a rotary air impelling unithaving a series of spaced hollow blades, means forming connections tothe blades for circulation of a cooling medium therethrough, andindividual condensate collecting troughs carried by the outer end ofeach of the blades.

6. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a fan having a plura ity ofhollow blades, means forming connections to the blades for circulationof a cooling medium therethrough an annular housing encircling theblades with its ends open for airflow, and condensate collecting meanscarried by the outer ends of the blades and communicating with thehousing to discharge collected condensate into the housing.

7. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a fan having a plurality ofhollow blades, means forming connections to the blades for circulationof a cooling medium therethrough an annular housing encircling theblades with its ends open for airflow, and an annular condensatecollecting ring substantially channel shaped in section carried by theouter ends of the blades and having an opening therein for discharge ofcondensate into the housing.

8. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a rotary air impelling unithaving a series of spaced blades, means connected to the blades to coolthem, condensate collecting troughs carried by the outer ends of theblades and lying at an angle to the axis of rotation of the blades, anda housing enclosing the blades and formed with an annular channelcommunicating with the outermost ends of the troughs to receivecondensate therefrom.

9. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a centrifugal blower having aseries of hollow roa series of hollow rotatable blades, an end platesecured to one edge of the blades and formed with passages communicatingwith the interiors of the blades, means forming connections to theblades to circulate a cooling medium therethrough and through-thepassages, and condensate collecting troughs carried by the outer ends ofthe blades and sloping outward to the end plate, the end plate beingformed with openings registering with the troughs for passage ofcondensate therethrough.

11. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a centrifugal blower having ahousing enclosing a series of hollow rotatable blades, an end platesecured to one edge of the blades and formed with passages communicatingwith the interiors of the blades, means forming connections to theblades to circulate a cooling medium therethrough and through thepassages, a cover over the endplate forming therewith a flow passage forthe cooling medium, and condensate collecting troughs carried by theouter end of the'blades and sloping outward to the end plate and the endplate being formed with openings registering with the troughs andradially outward of the cover through which condensate may flow from thetroughs through the end plate into the housing on the opposite side ofthe end plate from the blades.

12. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a centrifugal blower having ahousing enclosing a series of rotatable blades, an end plate secured toone edge of the blades, means to cool the blades and end plate,condensate collecting troughs carried by the outer ends of the blades,and an annular trough around the outer edge of the end plate to collectmoisture condensing on the end plate.

13. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a centrifugal blower having asubstantially circular housing having an axial air inlet and aperipheral air outlet, a hollow circular disc rotatable in the housingand substantially coaxial therewith, means to cool the disc, a series ofblades annular trough.

on the side of the disc facing the air inlet, and condensate collectingmeans on the outer ends of the blades to collect condensate'forming onthe blade surfaces and thrown outward thereof by centrifugal force.

14. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a centrifugal blower having asubstantially circular housing having an axial air inlet and aperipheral air outlet, a hollow circular disc rotatable in the housingand. substantially coaxial therewith, means to cool the disc, a seriesof blades on the side of the disc facing the air inlet, and

an annular condensate collecting trough around the outer edge of thedisc to collect condensate flowing outwardly on the disc under theinfluence of centrifugal force.

15. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a centrifugal blower having asubstantially circular housing having an axial air inlet and aperipheral air outlet, a hollow circular disc rotatable in the housingand substantially coaxial therewith, means to cool the disc, a series ofblades on the side of the disc facing the air inlet, an annularcondensate collecting trough around the outer edge of the disc, andcondensate collecting troughs on the outer ends of the blades slopingoutwardly toward the disc to discharge into the ADIEL Y. DODGE.

